Kate works as an Occupational Therapist in the Mental Health Services for the HSE. Having studied for her undergraduate degree at UCC and really enjoyed the experience, when it came to looking for further educational opportunities it was natural for Kate to look to UCC again.
The MSc Digital Health course intrigued Kate and sparked her interest to discover more.
“The idea of making the health system more efficient and effective by utilising technology really appealed to me.”
Since undertaking the MSc Digital Health Kate has really enjoyed the diversity of topics the course has covered including economics, the use of evidenced-based health data, and data analytics to name just a few. Kate found the guest speaker series “amazing, as they provided taster sessions to subjects that you wouldn’t otherwise have been introduced to”.
Kate’s research project for her final year dissertation looked at Clinical Training in the use of risk assessments for Venous Thromboembolism (VTE). VTE’s are potentially preventable and as Kate suggests “anything that can be done to reduce the numbers of lives lost and impacted long term due to this illness is critical.”
Her research experience on this course has been really beneficial, as during the process she has actively engaged in discussions with Clinicians in CUH, Academics in UCC, and Industry experts through the HSE HIHI Spark Ignite program.
Kate heard about the HSE HIHI Spark Ignite program through her peers on the MSc Digital Health course and decided to apply. Her application was successful, enabling Kate to attend 8 workshops over 4 weeks, with supporting mentorship from Ali-Rose Sisk (SafeCare).
This was a great opportunity for Kate to hear experts talk about their experiences of bringing an innovation to market. One notable quote Kate recalls from one of the speakers was “there will always be plenty of people smarter, more experienced, more confident than you, but will never take a step towards change … you have to be willing to take the step forward and action the idea.”
Kate took part in the HSE HIHI Spark Ignite Cork Regional final, although finding it nerve-racking, she also felt privileged to be able to speak and learn from colleagues in the HSE and the judging panel who were all experts in their field.
Since taking part in this competition, Kate has also been successful in obtaining funding to continue her research beyond the lifetime of her studies. Receiving funding from the Irish Haemostasis Research Foundation means that Kate’s research prototype can be fully developed and implemented into clinical training, which as Kate states, “really validates the importance and need for this project”.
So, what is Kate’s advice if you are wondering about studying for the MSc Digital Health course?
“If in doubt, do it, you won’t regret it. It opens doors, creates new networks with people, and improves your confidence in actioning ideas. You can make change happen and have an impact for the betterment of all.”
